For a happy holiday

The right kind of preparations before a trip ensure no tears from the children and a great time for the whole family
theSun, Tues 2 Dec 2008

WHILE travel arrangements can be easily done, preparing for a fun and stress-free travel with young ones needs a little more effort.
Start with a detailed checklist of things to pack. It is best to start packing at least a few days or even a week beforehand. Leaving packing to the last minute increases the risk of forgetting certain small but essential stuff such as toiletries and first-aid items.

If you travel often, have a separate set of toiletries. This way, you can still shampoo your child’s hair on the day of your travel, and not risk forgetting to put the shampoo into the bag.

Have a carry-all bag for diapers, formula, bottles, drinking water, snacks, wet wipes, spare clothes and some items to keep them entertained.

Make sure the bag has convenient compartments or pockets to keep everything organised. It saves you the frustration of rummaging through the mass of items to find that elusive pacifier to soothe the screaming baby by your side.

Pack small items, odd-shaped items and things that don’t stay upright well in hard containers before you put them into the carry-all.

For example, put milk bottles in a pouch or a plastic container that fits snugly so that they do not topple over other items. This maintains order and keeps the bottles from falling over when you place the bag down.

It also helps to keep the carry-all in proper shape for you to carry it comfortably when you are on the go.

Also pack an extra T-shirt for yourself just in case your baby throws up on you or your toddler decides to let your shirt taste some of his applesauce.

Get convenient flight times. Avoid stopovers if possible. Imagine waking two sleeping children, dragging a stroller and car seat while carrying a little baby and two carry-alls across terminals.

Try to time your flights so that if a stopover is unavoidable, the children can read, play or walk around the airport, and hopefully nap during the flight.

Get hotel rooms, holiday apartments or even suites that are well-equipped with at least a mini fridge, kitchenette or a microwave oven. You need more space for all the paraphernalia when you have children.

Having to hop over strollers, car seats, luggage and shopping bags before you reach the bathroom is not part of holiday fun. And if you have a baby, you would need space for a cot, be it one provided or a portable one you have brought along.

Then there’s milk or children’s juices that you need to keep cool in a fridge or some oatmeal that you need to make in the kitchenette.

Ordering room service all the time could be expensive and feeding children in a comfortable and controlled environment such as your room, suite or apartment would be more manageable and less stressful than eating out at a restaurant.

It’s the school holidays so start making travel plans with your children if you haven’t done so already.